First I want to thank Camden for this recipe.  Years ago she verbally told me how to make these, and many have enjoyed the recipe ever since.  It can be very simple, or kicked up with ingredients from the garden.

She told me to take whole baby portabella mushrooms and remove the stems.  Then cook a pound of sage sausage.   Stir it into 8 ounces of cream cheese.  Fill the mushrooms with the mixtures.  Top with shredded cheddar cheese.  Bake for 20 minute in a 325 degree oven.  Top with parmesan cheese.

One of the changes I made was to microwave the mushroom and stems for about 10 minutes.  This gets the excess water out so it doesn’t accumulate in the pan after they are baked.  I also let them sit for a few minutes to let more water drain.  The drained water can be used in soups, added to the water to cook rice, used in sauces, and in any recipe calling for broth.

Usually I use 4 pounds of mushrooms.  Portabellas are best, but white mushrooms are delicious too.

While I cook the sausage I add shallots, a Serrano and very small Poblano pepper from my garden.  Next time I will add even more because no one thought it was spicy.  Other times I have made it with prosciutto instead of sausage, added green pepper, garlic, and tried different cheeses.  Once in awhile I make my own cream cheese from buttermilk.

You can see it makes plenty of stuffing.

My favorite cheese to top the mushrooms is the four Mexican blend.  I go ahead and put the parmesan on top before baking.   At this point the mushrooms can be covered and refrigerated.  Of course, then they will take longer to bake.

These have been cooked until bubbly. Spinach was added to this batch.  I cooked it slightly, chopped and drained it well.  Then I stirred it into the sausage and cheese.  Variations are endless!